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Wednesday, May 29, 2013

The wedding planning is now in full force. I am so grateful for Pinterest; the abundance of DIY wedding ideas is never ending.

One of the most important aspects of the wedding to GB and I are the people who surround us. The first decision we made to reflect that is choosing to have a destination wedding. Nothing will make us happier than spending a week in sunshine with our closest family or friends. Next we chose our bridal party. I've stood up in many weddings, of all sizes. But for my wedding - I wanted to keep it small, GB felt the same way. In fact he already had his men picked out. He picked four of his closest guy friends. (I actually wanted one or two more girls - but marriage is all about compromise, right?)

After coming across a few ideas on Pinterest, I chose to put together a small box of goodies for each girl.

I wanted a handmade touch to the small gift, but my penmanship in pencil or in paint, clearly is in some serious need of practice.

I filled the box with nail polish (which inspired the wedding colors), chocolate (Every girl loves chocolate), burts bees (who doesn't love Burt Bee's?) and the quintessential Bridesmaids movie. If any scene is reenacted, I really hope I get to play Kristin Wiig on the plane. I'm dying to see a colonial woman on the wing of an airplane. (If you don't know what I'm talking about - go to your nearest Redbox and watch this movie asap.)

Lastly, I included a handwritten card asking each girl to stand beside me. This was the first DIY project I was able to put together for the wedding and it really inspired me to include as many DIY projects as possible.

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

I sure did! GB proposed in February and I have never been happier. He proposed when we were on the slopes of Lake Tahoe surrounded by our amazing friends.

Between my new full time job and planning our destination wedding I have been busy!

Of course I'm trying to DIY everything as much as possible so you can expect upcoming posts on how GB and I add our own personal touches to our wedding. But don't worry - even though my posts have not been regular I'm still crafting, cooking, baking, and "trying" to garden. I have so much to share with you. So keep coming back for regular Kiss My Smash updates!

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

You may recall from the Your Song and Shower of Love posts that I have attempted this craft before. But third time is the charm, right? I wanted to add some flair to the 'Get Ready Room" aka the spare bedroom with some homemade artwork. So I went to the local craft store and set to work.

I began by using Mod Podge to adhere newspaper to a canvas.

Once that dried I placed stickers on the canvas (very carefully) and painted over the entire canvas, stickers and all.

Immediately after I applied the paint, I peeled the stickers. This is where I have been going wrong! If you peel the stickers when the paint is wet, surprisingly (maybe not for you but this went against all of my logic) you get a much cleaner removal.

While I could have managed to smooth the newspaper across the canvas, it turned out alright.

Now I just have to add another craft on the other side of Marilyn to balance it all out.

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

I have been working on trying to be more helpful at home by cooking more often. Not only does it give GB a break, but it also improves my cooking skills. Mini-lasagna cups have been floating all over Pinterest. I decided to give it a whirl. The recipe I used was found at the Catching Fireflies blog/website. What is so incredible about stumbling upon this recipe is Catching Fireflies is one of my all time favorite local shops. It sells all sorts of great home goods and gifts. If you are local to Michigan you MUST swing by Berkley to fall in love with Catching Fireflies, as I have. If not local - peruse their website, I promise it's worth your time. April over at Catching Fireflies initially found the recipe at The Girl Who Ate Everything.

Ingredients:

Wonton Wrappers

Cooked Ground Beef (I used turkey)

1 3/4 cup grated Parmesan

1 3/4 cup shredded Mozzarella

3/4 Ricotta (I used cottage cheese)

1 cup pasta sauce

I couldn't find wonton wrappers at my local grocery store, but I did find egg roll wrappers. (GB grew up cooking in his parents Asian restaurant, and he said they were pretty much the same thing.)

I started by ripping the wrappers (they were too big) into two, and placing each section in a muffin tin.

At this point, things got kind of crazy and I started layering the ingredients without thinking about what order made sense. It turns out there is a preferred order. The following is my first muffin pan full of attempted mini-lasagnas.

After I realized I should try a different method, I filled another pan full of wonton wrappers and set to work. This time, I layered sauce first, followed by cottage cheese.

Next I added the ground turkey and mozzarella.

These bad boys were too big to close, so I had to add extra wonton wrappers to cover the inside.

Last I topped my mini friends with a bit more sauce and Parmesan.

I baked the cups at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes. The house smelled delicious.

Verdict: INCREDIBLE! These mini lasagna cups were delicious. I was most happy because GB loved them so much. Since I made way too many to consume in one meal, he was eating them for days. He referred to them as "meat cupcakes." He said they were everything a man wanted. I'm finding it is true what they say - the way to a man's heart is through his stomach.

Monday, January 28, 2013

Don't you love that funny little pepper baby? I found him while chopping peppers for the awesome Chicken and Spinach Quesadillas. I found the recipe predictably on Pinterest. Check out the original recipe on The Other Side of Fifty.

Next, I sauteed the veggies with some crushed red pepper, salt and pepper.

I seasoned the chicken with some garlic salt, pepper and regular salt while the veggies cooked.

Next I added the flour to the veggies. I was attempting to take a cute picture with my fancy new tablespoons. Of course I messed it up. I held the tablespoon in the wrong direction.

I was nervous to add the flour without any real moisture, but surprisingly it kind of "stuck" to the veggies.

The next step I took was adding the chicken broth. I, again, didn't know what to expect. But the broth quickly took on a creamy, thick texture.

I don't know if you are as easily entertained as I am, but I love adding a huge amount of spinach to a dish, like this one, and watching how quickly it cooks down. I like to think of myself as a kitchen magician and I have the power to shrink vegetables. No? You don't think that when you cook? Once again, I'm all alone in my weird imagination.

Next I added the chicken and cannellini beans. I had a picture of it all together, but I hit a wrong button and can't get the picture to come back. Clearly, I'm good at what I do on a computer. (Please note the sarcasm.)

Lastly, I put the tortillas in a pan with some cheese and layered the mixture on half of the tortilla. After it had a chance to brown, I flipped the cheese only portion of the tortilla over- and voila! I had a fancy 'dilla.

Oops! The first quesadilla was filled with too much mixture as you can tell by the protruding ingredients.

The rest of the quesadillas turned out great. I ran out of tortillas with half of the mixture still left. I took the mixture to work the next day and ate it like a salad. It was pretty yummy.

The original recipe calls for avocado and sour cream on the side. I skipped that, but I bet fresh avocado would taste great atop these quesadillas. This could also be a vegetarian dish if you omit the chicken.

About Kiss My Smash

My name is Smash, or Smashley and I represent every girl who surfs the internet and drools over all of the wonderful food, crafty, DIY and fashion blogs. I dream of putting together all of those spectacular projects. I also represent the girl who is not an artist, who is clumsy, desperate to be creative and over all not handy. I will be your guide attempting to create these project, being crafty, learning to sew and all other fabulous things. Follow me along my journey.